What Plate Tectonic Is The Bahamas On?

The Bahamas is currently part of the North American Plate (the northern top purplish colored plate) which includes most of North America, Cuba, and parts of Iceland. The Bahamas can bee located right on top of the Caribbean Plate. The North American Plate experiences all three major types of boundary’s which are transform, convergent, and divergent boundary. Transform boundary is when the plates slide right past each other. In a convergent boundary the plates collide into one another. Lastly, divergent boundary is when the plates are pulled apart from one another. You can find the transform boundary in the North American Plate by the Pacific Plate as it divides California’s San Andres Fault, sliding right past each other. The convergent boundary can be found near Alaska where the North American Plate and Pacific Plate meet again. Other than convergent boundary, subduction is also happening, due to the fact that the Pacific Plate is getting pulled under the North American Plate. Moreover, the divergent boundary is happening in the Atlantic Ocean as the North American Plate occupiers the Eurasian Plate. Therefore, as they get pulled apart new layer on the sea floor is created. Overall due to the movement of these tectonic plates, The Bahamas experiences hurricanes, twisters, and other tropical storms which cause excessive flooding and high winds throughout the year.

"Geology and Earth Science News and Information." Geology and Earth Science News, Articles, Photos, Maps, and More. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. <http://geology.com/>.

What's The Difference Between a Hazard, Disaster, and a Catastrophe?

When we talk about hazards, disasters, and catastrophes they all have that one major similarity, causing danger or damage to mother earth and/or us individuals. When I hear the word hazard I envision a bright yellow sign that can illustrate a flame, poison, and even lightning. Moreover, these yellow signs give us a warning, therefore, a natural hazard is basically a minor warning that a disaster might be approaching. As stated in the book Natural Hazards by DeVecchio and Keller, "Natural hazards vary greatly in their potential to cause a catastrophe." So let’s say a non-minor nor major earthquake occurs, which is a natural hazard that can cause an excess of $1.5 billion in damage each year, what happens after that earthquake? Well here comes a tsunami, in this case a disaster. A disaster results in minimal major damage that could possibly need assistance from all over the country. Therefore, needing shelter, or food till the environment is A okay. Moreover, to be considered a disaster is must've killed atleast ten people or more, and have affected more than 100 individuals. Lastly, we have catastrophe, which can be a hurricane, blizzard, and even a tsunami if earthquakes keep reaching the sea floor at high levels. Catastrophes not only affect the individual, or environments, but affect homes and so forth for a long period of time costing roughly billions of dollars in damage. Just think of a catastrophe as a situation where the area won’t be able to live as they once were for a while until a long term recovery. which means, hundreds of billions of dollars in damages.

Keller, Edward A. "Introduction to Natural Hazards." Natural Hazards. Ed. Duane E. DeVecchio. Fourth Edition ed. 8. Print.